Following a four-year legal battle over a trademark dispute, US basketballer Michael Jordan now owns his Chinese name.
China’s highest court has decided in his favour against Chinese sportswear maker Qiaodan Sports. Its name, pronounced “Cheeow-dan”, is a transliteration of “Jordan” in Mandarin, and the company was selling its own shoes and sportswear with Qiaodan as its registered trademark.
Jordan has been known by the Chinese characters for “Qiaodan” since he became popular in the 1980s, and previously argued unsuccessfully in Beijing courts that Qiaodan Sports had used his Chinese name, his old jersey number, 23, and basketball player logo to make it look like he was associated with its brand.
Now, the Supreme People’s Court has overturned two rulings by Beijing courts against Jordan, from 2014 and 2015, that had found there was not sufficient evidence to support the athlete’s allegations over the use of his image, and that “Qiaodan” was the translation of a common family name as claimed by the Chinese company.
It also ordered the trademark bureau to issue a new ruling on the use of the Chinese characters in the brand name “Qiaodan”, effectively awarding the trademark to Jordan. The company can continue to use the Romanised spelling of the name, however.
Chief judge Tao Kaiyuan says there was an established link between Jordan and the Chinese characters for “Qiaodan”, which are commonly used by the public when referring to the former basketball player, meaning that Jordan was entitled to protection under the trademark law.
Jordan says millions of Chinese fans and consumers have always known him by the name Qiaodan.
“Chinese consumers deserve to know that Qiaodan Sports and its products have no connection to me. Nothing is more important than protecting your own name, and today’s decision shows the importance of that principle.”
After the ruling, the company defended its actions but said it would respect the court’s decision.
In a twist, Qiaodan Sports was able to counter-sue Jordan in 2013 for preventing it from pursuing a stock-market listing because of the trademark lawsuit.